A Happy Family
by Theravinggamer
Summary: Black Clover AU/crossover with Megaman X Asta and Yuno are adopted by a man named Xavier Light, taken not too far from Hage village they begin a new life there with their fathers, and their step sister. Their journey is mostly the same, minor differences here and there.
1. Chapter 1

The priest sighed, partially out of happiness, and a little bit of sadness. Asta and Yuno were going away, a man had arranged for their adoption the previous month, and the two four-year-olds were more energetic than usual. The boys had their small bags together as their new father was planned to arrive this morning. He had prepared their favourite food, even if it was a little more than he should've been spending at this time of year for them. Asta was practically bouncing off the walls as it got closer to the agreed time. Even Yuno was more energetic than usual. Yuno was so timid but even he was jumping around full of energy, their little foster sister was trying her best to keep up with them.

"Are you going to visit?" Recca said, her fluffy red hair ruffled by Asta.

"Yeah!" he said, almost shouting with Yuno nodding in agreement. "We're gonna visit any chance we get!"

Recca hugged her brothers, the tiny two-year-old dragging them to play with their few toys before they left. A bit of time passed, the young baby that had been left there eventually waking up and crying for food. Their playtime ended, and Yuno started gently rocking the child back and forth as the Priest made some baby food. Asta helped out where he could, all while peeping out the door and windows for his future father.

It was mid-morning when he arrived, he flew using a modified broomstick, with handles and proper seats presumably for the two boys. Asta couldn't contain himself when he caught a glimpse of his adoptive father and sprinted out, tiny bag of clothes in hand. Yuno was running after him after hearing his excited cheering.

The man, dressed in a light blue tunic and brown pants landed just outside the small church. He fiddled with his brown hair a little nervously. "I hope this goes well," he thought, hearing some cheering and running towards him. A small boy with ashen hair and a boy with dark black hair running into his legs. The man embraced the two boys as they hugged him, both of them making happy noises. Asta was looking up at him with so much energy he swore that there were tiny stars in his eyes.

"This isn't a dream right?" Yuno said, the timid boy looking like he was about to cry from happiness. "You're going to be our dad?"

The man nodded, the tiny dark-haired boy's smile growing to match his brothers. He ruffled their hair gently, "My name is Xavier Light. It's nice to meet you two," The two boys somehow hugging him tighter as the rest of the orphanage came out. Recca ran up and hugged her two big brothers as the priest carried the sleeping baby.

"Visit soon!" the little girl said, a few happy tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Her brothers were nodding happily and hugging her.

"Don't worry; they can visit as often as they like," Xavier said, getting a small gasp from the two-year-old. "We won't be more than a few hours away, so you can still see them." The three children were cheering and jumping together as he said that.

"Boys," the priest said, getting the two to stop jumping around. "You two will always be welcome here, so be sure to write!" His face was full of happiness while managing to hold back a few happy tears.

"Yeah!" both of them said as their dad ruffled their hair a little bit.

"We have a bit of a flight back boys," Xavier said, securing their things to the broom. "We'll have to leave soon." Recca gave the adult a slight "oh."

"So if you want to keep playing for a bit you still have some time." The boy's new father said with a smile, as the three children back smiled at him before running back into the church to play with their toys some more.

"They're quite the bundles of energy," The priest said, sitting down outside and getting the baby in his arms to sleep again.

"Quite, it'll be nice to have that much energy in my house," Xavier said, triple checking all the things tied to his broomstick. The two started idly talking about the children, just for a bit. The sun began to get a bit higher before Xavier had to end the children's playtime reluctantly. The boys gave their little sister one last hug before their father lifted them up into the extra seats on his broom.

"Now for the harnesses," Xavier said, securing the two boys on the broom.

"Why do we need these things?" Asta said, the ashen-haired boy tugging at the thing securing him.

"So we don't fall Asta," Yuno said, a small yawn escaping his mouth.

"That's right Yuno," Xavier said, giving them both one last hair ruffle as he climbed on. "I also packed snacks in case you two get hungry on the flight home."

"Home..." the two boys said quietly, Yuno turning around a bit to look at Asta.

"We have two homes, Asta!" he said, a huge smile on his face. His words were met with snoring, however. Asta managed to fall asleep within a few seconds of getting settled in his seat. Yuno yawned as well, with Xavier giving a soft chuckle as the broom left the ground.

Yuno waved, and somehow in his sleep Asta was waving goodbye to their small home. It took only a few minutes, but Xavier's broom soon left the village as just a speck on the Horizon for Yuno. He wasn't flying very high, barely above the trees that surrounded the area. He could hear Yuno's surprised voice at the heights and turned his head to face the young boy.

"Too high?" he asked, his son shaking his head nervously. He gave a smile to him and went a little lower. The tips of the tree's brushing his feet a bit, Yuno leaning out a little to try and touch the tops of the trees. Xavier smiled and slowed down a little more to let his son touch the branches safely.

Yuno was ecstatic, the first time he was flying, with Asta and now his dad. He let out a small laugh followed by a yawn, Xavier slowing down a little bit more as the calm flight caused Yuno to doze off.

"They're completely exhausted," Xavier thought, making sure to keep the flight as stable as possible. "They must've been playing all morning." He looked ahead, the familiar town he lived near coming into distance far ahead of them.

"Not much longer boys, someone at your new home will be more than happy to meet you," he whispered, keeping the speed on his broom and lowering closer to the ground. He went slower as he entered the nearby village, a few people waving at him as they went along the road to his house. He waved back, a few people seeing the two sleeping boys on the back of his broom and making comments.

"Oh how cute!" "Such heavy sleepers." "They look so sweet!" some people said as he flew by, eventually leaving the town and going to a group of trees. He slowed down, landing on a small stone circle near to a beautiful and large oak cottage. He dismounted, keeping one hand on the broom so that it didn't drop too suddenly. He lowered it, bit by bit until the boy's feet were touching the ground. They both stirred, Asta, yawning and stretching before seemingly going back to sleep as Yuno yawned and started looking around.

"We're here boys," Xavier said, gently undoing the harnesses on both of them and picking up the still sleeping Asta. "Welcome to your new home."

Yuno made a small gasp, looking at how big the building in front of him was. Windows everywhere, at least two stories that he could see, a garden filled with flowers in colours he hadn't seen before. A sweet smell came from one of the windows on the ground floor, fresh bread? He wasn't sure, but he waited until his dad grabbed him and Asta's bags and started walking with him.

"It's so big," he said, touching the door leading inside the house.

"Yup," Xavier said, pulling a key from a pocket and unlocking the door. "There's one more person here, but you'll meet her in a little bit."

"Can't we meet her now?" Yuno said, tilting his head.

"Once we get you to your rooms," his father said, putting the key away and all three of them getting greeted with the warm smell of fresh baking. Xavier looked over, and Asta was drooling a bit, the small boy stirring a little more. "This way," he chirped, Yuno following into the new house.

"So many rooms," Yuno said, looking around. A large living room with many large comfy looking chairs and a couch in it. All of them surrounding a fireplace that wasn't lit yet. He tried to hide another yawn, failing as his dad looked at him.

"Still tired?" Xavier said, leading Yuno past a balcony window. The small boy nodded his head a bit. "Well, don't worry. you can rest more once we get you to your new bedrooms."

"Bedrooms?" he said, his father opening up a door near the balcony. "We.. aren't sharing a bed?"

"Not if you don't want too," Xavier said, inviting him into the room and laying Asta down on a bed. Yuno climbing in after him, yawning again and hugging his brother. Falling asleep as soon as their father tucked them in. The two boys sleeping putting one of the warmest smiles imaginable on their fathers face. He gently patted them on the head and closed the blinds, letting them have a restful sleep in their new bed. He closed the door and started walking towards the kitchen, the heavenly scent of what was cooking making him incredibly happy.

He opened the door to the kitchen, letting it swing a bit as he walked through. Inside was a young girl, twelve years old; he caught her attention by waving before moving his hands to sign the words. "We're home Rebecca; they're asleep upstairs."

"I know! I could feel the three of you land outside," she squeaked happily, taking a fresh layer of cake out of the oven and setting it on a counter. "They're going to love it here dad!"

"I hope so," Xavier signed back at his daughter. "It'll take a while for them to learn to talk to you," he walked over to a cabinet and grabbed a glass of water. "Have you drank anything?"

She nodded, motioning to a glass beside her. "Plenty, I'm not missing a chance to meet my baby brothers," she said, putting a fresh pan of cake batter in the oven. "They'll learn to talk to me too; I can show them how to sign and give them paper for them to communicate with me!"

Xavier nodded, a smile on his face, "They seem like bright boys," he signed, his hands full of as much glee as his face was. "and they'll probably like the cakes."

"Definitely," Rebecca said, her voice still squeaking with joy between sips of water. "I used the chocolate squares in one, and white chocolate squares in the other."

"What about the frosting?" Xavier signed, Rebecca lighting up and getting somewhat squeakier with her response.

"Chocolate on the vanilla cake, vanilla on the chocolate one," she said, smiling and motioning to two mixing bowls. Her voice was squeaking with every word as little sparkles formed around her eyes. "I can't wait to see them eat these!"

"They'll love them," Xavier signed, getting up and hugging his daughter. "I have to go out for a while, some of the older folks need their gardens tended, I'll try to be back before the boys wake up."

His daughter nodded as he walked out, the kitchen door swinging a bit before he steadied it. She watched him through the window, gardening tools in hand and a sunhat as he waved to her in the window.

A few hours later, Asta woke up. The warm heavy blanket covering him and Yuno making him struggle not to fall back asleep. He somehow managed it and sat up, looking around and the mostly undecorated room. He heard some small snores next to him and saw Yuno asleep next to him.

"IT WASN'T A DREAM!" he shouted, Yuno waking up and yelling in response to his brother. The ashen-haired boy leapt out of bed and started to jump around on the floor. "The floor is warm! The windows are clean! I CAN SMELL SWEET BREAD!" His face was a million times brighter than usual, Yuno almost looking away jokingly it was so bright.

"You slept the entire way, Asta," the dark-haired boy said, smiling back at him. "That sweet smell was there when we got here."

"I slept the entire trip?"

"I did too, but you fell asleep first." Asta reeling back and falling to his knees on the floor.

"I wanted to see the tops of the trees!" He wailed, his brother sighing and climbing out of bed.

"We shouldn't have got up so early then," he said, rubbing one of his eyes.

"But then we could've missed dad!" the more energetic boy said, running to their window and looking outside.

"He wouldn't have missed us, Asta," Yuno said, walking to the window as well. Both of them getting a good look at what was behind outside. They saw a vibrant garden, full of flowers in colours they hadn't seen before. A large pond was visible from the window a small distance away. Asta turned to Yuno, a huge grin on his face as he started running out the door, Yuno running after him.

The door burst open as the boys ran out into the yard. Asta ran ahead of Yuno and started looking around the yard, sprinting towards a tall tree.

"Asta, you shouldn't climb that!" Yuno shouted, catching up to the base of the tree as Asta already got a few branches off the ground. "What if you fall?"

"I won't fall!" Asta said, climbing higher. Yuno's voice was getting louder and more panicked. His brother looked around, Yuno starting to tear up and yell.

Inside, Rebecca was still baking, a smile on her face as she took the last part of the cake out of the oven. She set it on the counter to cool and looked around.

"They aren't in their bed anymore," she thought, letting her magic flow out of her slightly. Everything lighting up in her mind with various levels of heat. The oven was the warmest thing, lighting up a corner of her mind. The rest of the house appeared much cooler regarding temperature, but no other people seemed to be inside. She opened her eyes and looked outside, screaming as she saw her brothers. One of them crying and cupping his mouth trying to yell something, the other halfway up one of the biggest tree's around their house. She dropped what she was doing and sprinted through the door outside.

Xavier was walking back home; the gardening job took a little less time than he was expecting. His pants were dirty, and his shirt had a few sweat stains thanks to the now mid-afternoon sun. He smiled, his house getting closer with every step.

"I wonder if the boys are awake yet?" he thought aloud, adjusting his hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. "I wonder if Rebecca has met them either-" his thoughts were cut off by a yell from his house. Yuno's voice ringing out in panic, Xavier dropped his tools and summoned his grimoire.

"Water magic: Boots of the Azure Current," he said, water forming and hardening around his legs as he sped off towards his house. He saw the door open as Rebecca sprinted out and towards the nearby trees. Yuno's eyes met both of them as the boy pointed up into the tree, Asta now at the top.

"Asta!" he shouted, standing beside Yuno and giving him a gentle hug to his other son. He tried to calm him down, but he was still shaking a bit.

"Hi dad!" the small boy shouted, waving from the top of the tree.

"Can you get down?" his father shouted, Yuno gripping his hand tightly. Rebecca reaching them and looking up at Asta, squeaking nervously.

"Uh, I think so!" the boy said, starting to move down a branch. The family sighed with relief as he seemed to have a good foothold. They watched him, X not deactivating his spell as Asta slowly got lower. A few smaller twigs fell from the weight of the boy lowering himself through the tree, Asta's foot stepping on another branch before it cracked.

Yuno shouted, Rebecca screamed, Xavier didn't even hesitate. He leapt, his right foot touching the tree before a small jet of water kicked out from his magic armour. He rose diagonally, before using his left leg to force him back towards the tree. The movements were fluid, practiced almost to an art form, as he reached Asta and caught him right before he would've hit a large branch. He held the boy, both of them shaking a bit as jets of water came from his armour, letting them slowly descend to the earth below.

Yuno and Rebecca piled into a big group hug, the two boys not knowing who this girl was but not shying away from the added warmth. Asta was quivering; he wasn't sure why but his face was buried in his father's chest as he felt a tear hit his shoulder.

"You aren't hurt Asta?" he said, softly, Asta shaking his head causing the man to breathe a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god, please promise me you won't do something like that again." The other two's warmth was making him feel safe.

"I, I promise dad," he said quietly. "You... aren't going to yell at me, are you?"

"What good would that do?" His dad said, getting a confused look from both boys. "You did something dangerous and reckless Asta, but if I get mad at you, how will you learn?"

His family all hugged each other some more, Yuno wiping away a few tears from his eyes. Rebecca somehow made the hug too warm for anyone to stay upset or worried. The two boys looked at her confused until it started to click with them.

"Are you... our big sis?" Yuno said, still wiping away a few tears. Rebecca tilted her head and pointed to her ears, getting confused looks from the boys. Xavier broke the hug and signed Yuno's words to her.

"Yes I am!" she said, a soft squeak in her voice as she was almost too quiet. She ruffled the boy's hair before taking a few small pieces of paper out alongside a pen for each of them. "No better time to explain it but now!" she said, blushing a bit. "I can't hear you talk. I'm deaf." The boys head's tilted a bit as they took the paper and pens.

"It means my ears don't work at all," she said, giving them both a gentle pat on the head. Yuno was writing something down on the paper and showing it to her.

"Fix?" was written on it, she sighed and gave both boys another hug. "No, they can't be fixed," she said, both boys looking shocked at her. Asta was writing something out on his paper before showing it to Rebecca. "Find a way," it said, Rebecca, letting out a small giggle before picking up the two toddlers. "Thanks you two," she said as she handed Asta to Xavier, her father putting the boy on his shoulders and her doing the same to Yuno. "But I'm fine as is, I'll teach you to talk to me without writing things down."

Both boys nodded, looking at their paper and writing one last thing before their family started walking. "We'll learn!" Xavier and Rebecca's faces beaming as the two boys started writing more and more to talk to their new big sister.

Inside the house, Xavier was laughing a lot, after everyone had calmed down he started cooking lunch for his family. A fresh warm stew, boar meat, carrots, onions, tatoes and spices. The boys were swapping between talking with Rebecca, eyeing the mysterious sheet covering the two welcome cakes that were made for them, and drooling at Xavier's cooking. He looked over, the papers they were using to write things were starting to pile up faster for Asta, where Yuno was writing a lot of questions on the paper. Rebecca was doing her best to answer everything, but it was clear things were starting to get too fast-paced for her to keep up.

"Can we slow down the questions?" She said, both of them nodding and scratching out the next question with "Okay" written instead. "Thank you," she said, the boys climbing off their chairs and hugging her. Xavier's heart was melting at how quickly the boys accepted them both.

"Lunch is almost ready, boys," Xavier said, the aroma of the stew filling the room. In a flash, they jumped back in their chairs, still eyeing the sheet on the counter. Xavier smiled, his daughter telling them about how good his cooking was making the Asta drool on the table. He took one last smell; it was perfect. He grabbed a few bowls and brought the stew over to the table. Asta was eating as soon as the food was in front of him, Yuno waiting until Rebecca and Xavier had theirs before eating his.

"So good!" Asta said, his eyes sparkling as he ate, Yuno smiling as he started eating as well. Rebecca and Xavier beaming as the two boys ate, the smiles on their faces lighting up the room. Asta wasn't hesitating with the hot stew, Yuno, however, was summoning a small spiral of wind above it.

"Too hot, Yuno?" Xavier said, the boy nodding slightly before taking another spoonful. His smile was getting bigger as he ate. "That much control and he's so young," the man thought. Asta finished his bowl and set his spoon down. The boy rubbed his stomach before eyeing the pot some more.

Rebecca spoke up first, "Asta, do you want some more?" she said, her voice soft as the boy fidgeted in his seat. He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote "Is that okay?" on it before handing it to her to read. She nodded, the boys looking at each other before Xavier happily filled Asta's bowl again. The boy started wolfing down the food again, finishing his second bowl as Yuno finished his first. Their sister took the bowls once it was clear they were done eating, Xavier standing up from his chair and walking over to the stew pot.

"That should be enough," he said putting a lid on the pot and turning around to face Rebecca. He signed, "Can you freeze this Rebecca?"

"Absolutely!" she said, the boys staring as she grabbed the large pot from their father. Her eyes closed, focusing on lowering the temperature of the object in her hands. The three other people in the room watched, two of their mouths agape as the warm pot of food they just ate froze over in what seemed to be an instant. Xavier looked between the three of them, Rebecca shivering slightly as the coolness filled the room a bit.

"So cool!" Asta said, both him and Yuno staring at the now frozen pot of stew. Xavier was signing to Rebecca as her smile got wider, though they both prepared for another bombardment of questions from Asta and Yuno. Another hour or so passed before the boys ran out of questions about Rebecca's magic.

"Anything else?" their sister said with a happy squeak, Yuno shaking his head as Asta wrote one last thing on his paper.

"Can we practice our magic?" the paper said, Asta's eyes filled with energy. Xavier nodded and watched as a cloud of dust shaped like the young boy was in his chair, and the door was swinging back and forth. The three looked at each other, got off their chairs and ran outside after Asta.

Xavier was used to training Rebecca, having her use her magic to create high and low-temperature zones to get a handle on balancing the power. He had Yuno practice using his wind to create breezes, low and straightforward ones to let the boy practice his magical output. Asta was where Xavier started to get concerned, no matter how hard the boy tried not a single bit of magic came from him. He shouted, strained, did everything he could to make any form of magic appear. The small boy tried taking stances similar to his siblings, nothing, eventually collapsing in a heap.

"What's wrong with me?" he muttered, his father gently putting a hand on him. "Am I... broken?" he whispered, looking up at his father.

"No," Xavier said, gently rubbing the boys head. "You are not broken Asta; sometimes magic just takes a while to develop." His son looked up at him, a weak smile on his face. "Would you believe that I didn't get my magic till I was seven?" Asta's eyes widened, and his smile was getting slightly larger. "If you can't use magic right now, how about I show you how to climb a tree? Properly."

His son gave him a hug, his smile filling out his face once again. "Okay, dad!" he said before running off to a tree nearby.

"I'll be right over!" Xavier said, Asta, seemingly trying to find the best tree he could to climb. The man sighed and put a hand to his head. "He has no magic." he thought, infinite possibilities as to why running through his mind. "No matter, I'm not about to let him feel hopeless when he finds out. I'm not going to let any of them feel that way," he muttered, Asta, waving at him and pointing at a large oak tree near the edge of the yard. He smiled and started walking over to the boy, who was already climbing the tree.

He showed Asta how to do everything, while also giving more practice exercises to the other children. By the time the sun started to go down, they had climbed to the very top of the tree. Asta still somehow full of energy as he started listening on how to get down properly.

"Okay, this is different from climbing up Asta," his father said, gently lowering his foot onto a branch. "First, make sure you have a good grip on the trunk, then slowly put yourself on a branch that can support you." His son was mimicking his movements as they climbed down, the other two waiting at the bottom. Xavier praising Rebecca and Yuno for their magic practice and Asta for his quick learning on how to climb the tree. The kids all beaming as he spoke and signed his praises of them. Inside, Xavier asked Rebecca to show the boys the rest of the house while he prepared dinner, handing the two boys some more paper to write things on for her to read.

Rebecca showed the boys so many rooms. First, she showed them the bathroom which Asta promptly ran in and relieved himself. The other two decided to do the same. Then was the library, Yuno looking up at the rows upon rows of books with a smile on his face. Asta wasn't too impressed, muttering something about "books being tough," before Rebecca took them to the next room. It was mostly empty, a few targets on the wall and some light exercise equipment. They asked Rebecca what the room was for.

"Training!" she said, happily handing their papers back to them. "If the weather's bad outside I can practice my magic in here." The boys nodding and looking around for a few minutes until Rebecca started walking them back towards the kitchen.

"One last room, you two," she said, all three of them smelling something heavenly coming from the kitchen door. Asta was almost wandering into the kitchen before his sister gently pulled him to the main living room. Asta immediately jumped on one of the chairs as Yuno looked around at the photos hanging on the wall. He set his paper on the ground and started to write something, looking at one photo in particular.

Yuno handed the paper to Rebecca, "Who's the other person in that photo?" it read. Yuno pointing at the photo he was talking about above the fireplace. Rebecca smiled, Asta, stopping his running around to listen to her as she started talking.

"Him, well," she said, her smile growing warmer as she looked at the picture. "That's our other dad." Asta and Yuno's mouths opening before both of them frantically writing things down on their paper.

"We have two dads?" Asta wrote, his excitement making the words almost illegible. Rebecca was nodding happily as Yuno passed her his paper. "Where is he?" the second paper said, Yuno looking at her with a confused look.

"Well, he's out defending our country," Rebecca said, walking over to the picture and taking it off the mantle. "He's a magic knight, and he's defending our borders." The two boys eyes were widening larger and larger with each word. When Rebecca sat down the both ran over to the chair she was in and took a good look at the photo. On the left was Xavier, a few years younger and standing outside of the house they were in, a warm smile on his face as he looked at the other two. Rebecca was in the middle, and she looked to be about the boy's age when the picture was taken, her face just as full of energy as it was now and in the arms of the two men, tongue stuck all the way out. The man on the right was taller than Xavier; he had a smile just as warm as Xavier's and was wearing full knight robe.

"We'll have to get a new photo when he visits again," she said, the two boys looking up at her as she walked to put the picture back. "He's going to love you two."

The boys both stared at the picture for a moment, getting a giggle out of their sister before the smell of freshly cooked food filled the room. Xavier opened the door to the kitchen, Asta almost leaping from the chair they were using and running past him. Yuno took one last look at the photo before walking into the kitchen with Rebecca.

The family ate a delicious meal of fried rice, mixed in among some garden herbs, carrots and chunks of meat. Asta wolfing it down in a matter of moments, his father chuckling as he asked for more.

"Not this time," Xavier said, feeling a little guilty at his son looking a little sad. "I didn't make much so you could save room for what's after dinner." Both boys perked up at that, Asta's disappointment fading and Yuno tilting his head. "We'll show you when you're both done eating." Rebecca was smiling as he signed the words to her as well. Yuno finished his dinner, Asta looking around the room at whatever surprise was waiting for them under the sheet.

The two older family members walked over to the sheet once the dishes were put away. "Welcome to your new home Asta and Yuno," they said, removing the sheet as two gorgeous cakes were underneath. The boys gasped as their new father cut slices for them and their sister brought them to the boys. They ate, laughed, and even got a little bit of sign language practice in before the day got to them. Asta fell asleep on his second slice of cake, smearing it all over his face while Yuno started to doze off in his chair. Xavier picked Asta up and signed to his daughter that he was going to clean him up. Rebecca nodded and helped Yuno walk back to his bedroom. The timid boy fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

This would be the first of many joyous days the boys would have growing up with their new family.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a few months since they had started living with Xavier and Rebecca. The days eventually became an enjoyable routine for the two, their sister teaching them how to use sign language, their father helping them train their magic or in Asta's case his body. As often as he was able their father also took them back to Hage village to spend time with Recca and the Father of the church. The kids would play for hours before heading back, usually with Asta completely asleep.

It was a fairly cold morning. The fall air was bringing a chill to the kingdom. Asta looked out the window of his and Yuno's room, the two boys seeing a light layer of frost on the nearby pond. It was early, far earlier than either of their family members liked them being up. Asta slowly snuck out of the room, Yuno right behind him. The crept, avoiding floorboards they knew were squeaky as they moved towards a particular room. They both got there, looking around and not seeing or hearing their father awake they gently opened the door.

There was their target, their big sister Rebecca. Completely asleep, her blond hair not in the ponytail braid they were used to seeing her. The boys nodded to each other and walked up to her bed on both sides. They climbed up, slowly and carefully not to wake her up early and gently laid down next to her, waiting for her to wake up.

Rebecca was stirring, something on her bed, no two things on her bed. They settled on her arms, and one of them was trying to get under the blanket. Her eyes opened, on her right, a tuft of ashen hair greeted her out of the corner of her eye, and a tuft of black hair on her left. Asta, halfway under her blanket visibly gulped as he mouthed something to Yuno as she turned her head. Both of her younger brothers sitting up and moving in front of her as they put their hands up and signed one simple thing.

"Good morning sis," they signed, Rebecca giving them a very sleepy smile and rubbing their heads.

"You both are up early," she yawned, the two boys nodding as she sat up in her bed. Pulling her little brothers into a big hug while another yawn escaped her mouth. "You figured out how to say that pretty fast!"

"Practice" Yuno signed, failing to completely sign his thought but still getting an affectionate pat on the head from his sister.

"Good morning sis," Asta signed again, trying very clearly to say something different. Rebecca laughed before pulling both of them into a hug. The boys squeaking as she pulled the blanket over them.

"It's too early, let's go back to sleep," she said, yawning and almost instantly falling back asleep. Her brothers were giving each other a thumbs up before dozing off next to their big sister.

Xavier woke up with the chirping of birds outside his window, a few sparrows hopping around on the sill. He smiled and got dressed, keeping the birds in his vision as they happily hopped around.

"It's getting cold," he thought, leaving his room. "The boys are going to need something warmer for winter." He walked through the rooms, knocking on the boy's room and causing the door to swing open slowly. An empty bed greeted him, he paused and took a deep breath.

"Boys?" He said, turning around in the hallway and spying Rebecca's door partially open. He took a few cautious steps forward toward his daughter's room, gently pushing the door and letting out a relieved sigh. All three of his children completely asleep, Yuno curled up under the blanket, just his face and hair visible. Asta was splayed out on top of his sister's arm and the blanket, snoring just a little. He smiled and walked back out of the room and down to the kitchen.

The three children woke up to something delicious wafting through their room. All three of them sitting up and realizing it was time for breakfast. Asta ran down in a flash, leaving his brother and older sister behind. Yuno slowly got out of bed and walked out of the room, rubbing his eyes slightly. Rebecca chuckled as she got up and walked after her two brothers, the door to the kitchen swinging a little bit.

"Hi, Dad!" Asta said, climbing onto a chair and seeing a plate of food waiting for him. His father still cooking some more food as Yuno and Rebecca walked into the kitchen, Asta already putting a forkful of egg into his mouth.

"Good morning, Dad!" Both of them said, Yuno climbing onto his chair and Rebecca sitting in hers. They smiled as they started to eat, their father finishing up his cooking and sat down with them.

"Good morning you three," he said, getting Asta and Yuno to look up as he signed the words for Rebecca. "Sleep well?"

"Uh huh!" Asta said, Yuno nodding in agreement.

"These two," Rebecca said with a huge grin. "Decided to sneak into my room to show their signing!" She rubbed the boy's heads as they giggled, Xavier's smile getting larger.

"Good," their father said, pausing for a moment to eat. "You boys have been practicing very hard. I'm proud that you're both learning so quickly." The two boys were beaming at the praise as they ate, Xavier knew how hard they were working. He had been up far later than he knew was reasonable with the boys, practicing every word they could think of.

Xavier smiled, all three of his lovely children took their education as seriously as he did. Even if Asta was struggling compared to Yuno and Rebecca, the young boy still did his best, and that was all Xavier would ever ask of him. They finished their meals, Asta quickly taking everyone's dishes over to the sink. Yuno pulled over a stool and climbed up, Asta handing him the dirty dishes as they began cleaning up. Rebecca focused her magic on creating a pocket of warm air, the wet plates, glasses and utensils all drying off before Xavier would take them to be put away.

Once the dishes were cleaned, Xavier grabbed a few canteens of water, and they all went outside for training. Rebecca continued her magic control training, creating pockets of heat and cold around the yard. Yuno had progressed astonishingly fast and was already working on controlling his magic while moving things around with his wind. Asta, still not showing any magical ability at all was set to train his stamina alongside his father, running around the area the other two were working.

Yuno watched as his father ran a few laps around the training ground with Asta, helping his brother work on his stamina. He focused, moving small leather balls around in his magic. He was happy with what he was able to do, spinning the balls around him before stopping to get a drink. He sat down smiling as he kept swirling his wind magic around, it wasn't serious training to him, he just enjoyed being with his family. He felt his father rub his head and smiled as he faced him.

"Pacing yourself Yuno?" Xavier said, sitting next to the boy. His son nodding and drinking some more water,

"Yes Dad," he said, starting to create another small gale of wind around his practice equipment before stopping. "Dad," he said nervously. "Can... can I go play with Asta?" his smile was too nervous for how simple the question was.

"Of course you can Yuno," he said, happily patting his son's head. The worried smile faded away into what X loved seeing, the boy ran off, joining his brother as he ran and both of them laughing. Smiling, happy; their father sighing as he mentally put his hand on his face. "You can take the man out of the knights, but you can't take the knight out of the man," he muttered, happily watching the two boys start racing around the yard.

"Something wrong Dad?" Rebecca said, drinking some of her water as she sat next to him. He didn't sign anything to her for a moment, both of them looking at the two boys running around some more.

"I need to remember they're both four," Xavier signed, rubbing his head and blushing out of embarrassment. His daughter giving him an unimpressed look as he continued. "I'm too used to you begging me to train you." Rebecca laughing as she took another drink from the canteen.

"I wasn't that energetic as a kid dad!" She said, putting the canteen down. "I didn't ask you to train me that much," Xavier now giving her a knowing smile.

"How many mornings did you wake me up to train again?" he signed, Rebecca standing up and blushing a bit.

"I was four!" She almost shouted, her dad's teasing getting her to just a bit. Her dad laughing and wiping a tear from his face as Rebecca's face got a little redder. Both of them remembering a four-year-old girl waking Xavier up to train at the crack of dawn. Memories of her tiny blonde head divebombing Xavier's bed every morning to get to training. They laughed some more, watching the boys run around and play.

"Maybe we should join them," Xavier signed, Rebecca nodding as they both stood up and joined the boys. Xavier picking up Asta and Rebecca picking up Yuno, and starting to run around the yard with both boys on their shoulders. Asta demanding they race with them on their backs, the older family members more than happy to oblige.

"Go Go!" Asta cheered, Yuno giving Rebecca a sign to start running as they both took off. The two boys were hanging on tight as the race started, Xavier getting ahead of Rebecca just by a bit. His age and longer legs giving him a bit of an advantage as they ran, but Rebecca was staying hot on his heels as they started turning around the house. Both of the boys were cheering as they rounded the next side of the house, Xavier loving the sound of the boys laughing, and Rebecca loving the glimpses of Asta and Yuno's laughing faces.

They stopped after passing the front door, two delivery birds sitting on the doorstep letters in their talons. The boys climbed down from the backs of their family as Xavier opened the letters. The boys saw something on his face they hadn't seen in the few months they had been there. His face was glowing, they swore he was actually making it hard to look at with how radiant his smile was. Rebecca laughing a bit as their father held the letter close to his chest. His water magic somehow forming a mist around his head, making his smile almost completely blinding to look at.

"Is Zeke coming home again?" Rebecca said, the two boys looking at her and seeing her own face shining with a huge smile. Xavier nodding, getting Rebecca to let out an excited squeak.

"Zeke?" Asta said, scratching his head. Looking at both of his older family members.

"Is, that our other dad?" Yuno said, looking between the two, Xavier nodding happily.

"Yes Yuno," He said, signing for Rebecca. "Zeke is my husband, and he finally s able to get some time away from the border." His face was full of warmth as he kneeled down. "He's going to love you two." The two boys hugging him as four growls rang out from their stomachs.

"Maybe we should make lunch first dad," Rebecca laughed, opening the front door for them. The two boys running in ahead of them as Xavier, seemingly floating with happiness went inside. "Don't forget the other letter!" she said, Xavier, coming out of his love-induced trance with a sheepish grin.

"Right, right," he said, placing the letter from Zeke on a shelf nearby. He opened the other letter, the paper seemed rougher as he scanned it. "Boys!" he said, calling Asta and Yuno back into the room. "This letter's for you two."

Asta rounded the corner first, running up and politely taking the letter from his dad. Yuno joining him after a moment and looking over the letter. It was short, and the handwriting was messy, but they were able to figure out what it said.

"Asta and Yuno,

When can you visit again? A new Sister is here, and she's really nice and pretty! Visit soon so we can play!

Recca."

"New sister?" Asta said, the boy scratching his head. "What does she mean?"

"I think that means Father Orsi has someone helping him now Asta," Xavier said, Yuno looking over the short letter a few more times.

"When can we visit again?" Yuno asked, Asta, nodding excitedly alongside his brother. Their faces now somehow sharing the same sparkling glow as their father.

"How about a few days from now," Xavier said, gently ruffling the boy's hair. "That way all of us can go," both of the boys cheering and hugging him. Rebecca laughing as she watched the scene before the growls of hungry stomachs reminded them why they were inside in the first place.

The lunch was good, Asta insisted on trying to help his dad prepare things by carrying all the not sharp tools to him. Yuno sat patiently, Rebecca helping him practice more sign language. It took a bit of time, all four of their stomachs growling as Xavier put the finishing touches on the soup he made. Asta sitting at his place at the table as the soup was dished out. All of them waited for him to sit down as well before starting to eat.

Asta, as usual, finished first. He got up and put his dishes as best he could on the counter, before running to the door. "I'm gonna go clean our room Yuno!" he said with a huge grin, leaving before his family could respond. They all sat there, confused as Xavier signed what Asta said to her.

Upstairs Asta burst into his, and into his brothers shared room and closed the door. The boy walked slowly to his side of the bed and bent down beneath it. He pulled out a bag, rather large for a child that already had a few objects inside. Some money, a few stuffed toys and some extra clothes. He did his best to count the coins, his allowance from his father for when he took them shopping.

"one, two, three..." he counted, for just a minute. "fifteen." He finished, the larger numbers throwing him off slightly as he put the coins back into the bag. He looked around, making sure the door was still closed. Then he took a look at the toys, pulling a rather large plush bird out and hugging it tightly before putting it back. It was his favourite after all, so it hurt just a little to think of giving it away.

"Recca needs this more than me," He murmured, not hearing the door quietly slide open as he looked down. "I can always get another one."

"Another one of what?" Yuno's quiet voice came from the doorway. Asta looking up and seeing him with Rebecca and Xavier, a few dustpans and brushes in their hands. Asta tried his best to kick the bag under the bed.

"N-nothing!" The boy laughed, knowing none of his family would believe him.

"Asta," his father said, calmly walking towards the boy. "Is everything okay? You can tell me." Asta looking down as the bag was still poking out from under the bed. A few coins rolled out since it was thrown haphazardly.

"Can I open the bag Asta?" Xavier asked, Rebecca and Yuno walking up next to him. Asta nodded, still looking down as if he had broken a rule. Xavier gently patted his head as he grabbed the bag slowly with his free hand, sitting down next to Asta as he opened it. A smile on his face as he saw the contents, and put things together in his head.

"...These were going to be gifts for Hage village right?" He said slowly, signing to Rebecca as well as he picked Asta up and sat him on the bed.

"Yes dad," Asta said, still sounding like he was expecting a punishment. "They never have a lot, and you keep getting us cool toys and nice clothes, so it felt... wrong to have so much." Xavier motioned for another family hug as Yuno climbed on the bed and Rebecca stood beside him. "Am... I in trouble dad?" He said as his family embraced him.

"Not a chance," Xavier said, "Yuno, did you know about this?"

"Y-yes dad," he said nervously. Xavier smiling and breaking the hug to rub their heads.

"I'm proud of you two, so generous at your ages," he said, still signing things for Rebecca. Both of the brothers looking confused for a moment. "But, in the future, tell me, and we can get them brand new toys."

"Can we keep giving them money and clothes too?" Yuno asked, Asta, nodding in agreement. Reaching into the bag and pulling out his stuffed toy bird.

"Of course, it's your money to use how you see fit," he said, Rebecca leaning in and giving the boys a warm hug. "Now, let's get cleaning for Zeke."

The boys nodded, Asta happily putting his toys back where they belong on a dresser. Yuno, with Rebecca's help, made their bed, flattening out the sheets. Xavier swept, though there wasn't much dirt in the room. They finished and went onto different parts of the house, cleaning as a family as the sun started to go down.

"Rebecca," Xavier signed, looking at Asta and Yuno. the two boys covered with visible dirt smudges from cleaning for hours "Can you give the boys a bath?"

"Asta, Yuno it's time for a bath." She said, nodding to her father as the two boys smiled. She grabbed their hands and led them to the bathroom, Xavier going into the kitchen to prepare dinner. The man smiled, and went through their food stores, pulling out the highest quality meat they had in the house. Herbs, garlic carrots, tatoes all around a gorgeous cut of beef. He took a match and started the oven, apple tree wood to give a bit of a flavour as he set the meat to cook.

Upstairs Rebecca was helping the two boys wash their hair, her clothes getting soaked as Asta splashed around in the water as she cleaned his hair. Asta would never admit he was ticklish, but his siblings could feel his giggles being held back. The boy wiggled more as Rebecca gently cleaned the soap out of his hair, leaving the ashen hair smooth and clean. Yuno was already started on cleaning his own hair, carefully washing it while doing his best to keep soap out of his eyes.

Rebecca finished with Asta's hair and made sure he cleaned behind his ears. She then moved over to Yuno to help keep soap out of his eyes as he washed his hair. Asta still splashing around in the water as she helped Yuno clean his hair. They finished up, Asta still splashing away from them in the large bathtub. She could tell he was laughing a bit, Yuno smiling as she got up and grabbed two towels for the boys.

"Your turn?" Yuno signed at her, Rebecca nodding and focusing her magic into the towels to make them warmer. She wrapped them around the two boys and watched as their faces grew even happier from the warmth. They both dried off as she walked them to their room and had them change into new clothes, before going back and cleaning herself.

Asta and Yuno walked out of the room, Xavier had set out some fancier than usual clothes for them. Button up shirts and fancy pants for both of them, Yuno got dressed with no complaint. Asta, however, had trouble with the clothes, the hyper boy needing his brother to help him. They stepped out, somehow managing to do it at the same time as Rebecca. She was wearing a blue tunic, similar to her normal clothes but instead of them being pure blue, they had an embroidered red trim on her long sleeves. They all smiled, and smelt the dinner cooking from the kitchen. They all ran downstairs, Xavier adjusting his hair in the main hallway.

"He's almost here," Xavier said and signed at the kids. Asta looking confused.

"How can you tell dad?" the boy said, Xavier having a realization.

"Well Asta," he said a few pangs of guilt in what he was about to say, "Once you get your magic you'll be able to sense when other people are around you." Asta nodding and happily going on about what his magic might be. Xavier finding the guilt building up inside of him, but he wasn't sure how to tell him the truth. "Maybe Zeke will have an idea," He mused as he felt someone touch down outside of the building. They all waited, watching the door as the lock clicked, a small curse rang out since the person locked the door. It was unlocked again as a man walked through the door.

He was a little taller than Xavier, just by a few inches, a red scarf wrapped around his face. His hair was the same shade of blond as Rebecca, and in a ponytail that reached just above his feet. The boys looked at his clothes, a maroon tunic and white pants. A clothing style they were used too now, similar to their older family members. But for the first time, the very first time he was wearing a rather small, grey robe. The symbol of a deer adorned on the left side in dull gold. He smiled and removed the long red scarf and hung it up on a small stand in the corner.

"I'm home," he said, Xavier almost immediately pulling him into an embrace and kissing him. They held each other for a moment before, to only Zeke's surprise, Asta tackled hugged him.

"Hi, dad!" The boy almost shouted, looking up at Zeke with a huge smile. Zeke hesitating for a moment out of surprise before gently ruffling his hair. Yuno followed his lead and walked up to give Zeke a hug as well. Rebecca letting out a small giggle and joining the hug.

Zeke smiled and hugged back, the kids letting go as Xavier held his arm, just loose enough for him to sign. "Rebecca, you've grown!" is daughter nodding as he started speaking.

"And you two," He said, looking at the two boys. Their eyes meeting his and all three of them smiling. "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you two sooner."

Asta and Yuno smiled some more, hugging the man's legs. "It's okay," Yuno said, the more timid boy managing to out smile his brother. "Nice to meet you, papa!"

"Papa?" The two adults and Asta said, looking at Yuno who was still smiling.

"We need to tell you apart somehow!" Yuno said, both parents blushing and signing something to Rebecca.

"Yes!" The girl shouted, her face full of glee at the idea. "Dad and Papa! It's perfect!" It was officially a family hug as she barreled into all four of her family members and accidentally tipping them over into a pile on the floor. All three of the kids chiming in with Papa and Dad getting the two adults to turn bright red.

"A-all right you three," Xavier signed, the pile dispersing letting their parents stand up. "Dinner should be ready, so let's eat." The kids nodding and dragging both of them to the table, Zeke sitting down as he watched Asta and Yuno start setting the table. Rebecca made tea, her magic letting her boil the water and steep the herbs in a flash.

Zeke had to hide a bit of drool at the food his husband was bringing out. A perfectly smoked roast, his favourite, especially considering how long he had to eat military rations. His eyes caught Asta and Rebecca, drooling just a bit. "Guess he's picked up a few of her habits," he thought, Xavier, slicing the meat and laying it out for everyone. As soon as everything was ready, Xavier passed out water and tea to the family, sitting next to Zeke

"Welcome home dear," Xavier said, the kids swearing they could see sparkles around his head again, the same with their papa.

"You said that already dad!" Asta blurted out between a few bites of food. Coughing a bit as something went down the wrong way before drinking his water to get it clear. His brother was gently patting him on the back as he let out a burp.

"Asta, you need to swallow before talking," both parents said almost immediately. The boys laughing as Rebecca fussed over Asta, and got him some more water. They kept eating, the kids asking about Zeke's adventures. He left out the harsher details, much to Xavier's relief, the kids all lighting up as he told the story of him fending off enemies while protecting his allies. A few more stories went on the kids all asking for more details and receiving the same answer. "When you're older."

It was late, Asta struggling to stay awake listening to his parent's stories of being knights. Yuno had already fallen asleep and Rebecca carried him to bed, she was coming back to do the same with Asta. He wiggled, his sister focusing her magic on making his clothes extra warm and cozy. He waved goodnight to his parents, them both giving him a kiss on the head as they had done with Yuno. Falling asleep as soon as Rebecca got him in his bed next to his brother.

The parents heard the door to the boy's room close, along with the door to Rebecca's. Zeke let out a content chuckle.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner Xavier," he said, his husband kissing him on the cheek.

"It's all right, I know they've been looking forward to meeting you since they arrived." The brown-haired man said, leaning on Zeke while they sat together. "At least now they can start sending you letters when you go back."

"True," the long blond haired man said, leaning back on his husband. "Though, about Asta..."

"I know," Xavier said, a sad expression forming on his face. "He has no magic, doesn't he?"

"Not a bit," Zeke said, his expression matching his husband. "With how he was looking at me when we were sharing our stories I think he wants to be a knight."

"That's going to be difficult," Xavier continued, both of them looking up towards the stairs. "I had hoped maybe my senses were wrong, and that maybe his magic was just going to be faint."

"I did too but," his husband said. both of them were quiet for a moment.

"What if we make sure he has options?" both of them said, laughing as they were on the same wavelength.

"Well, good thing we have money for hobbies then," Zeke laughed, kissing his lover's cheek. Both of them discussing things to introduce their family too as hobbies. They went to bed after forming a list, the two men enjoying each others warmth in bed as they fell asleep.

"Tomorrow's going to be interesting."


End file.
